Chapter 5: The Wisdom of Sacred Words

With a sudden insight, gaining wisdom was no longer a difficult task for Su Lin. Seeing Su Lin's face suddenly light up with joy, Dong Zijing happily asked, "Brother Su Lin, is there something that brings you joy?"

This anecdote speaks of Confucius calling several of his disciples to his side and pointing to a pottery vessel used for holding water, saying that each person has their own special purpose, just like this vessel, whose function is to hold water

A gentleman, regardless of what he is doing, should embody his own principles, which reflect his understanding and values, rather than merely possessing certain skills or talents. In Confucius's view, those so-called talents are secondary, while the gentleman's principles are fundamental. A gentleman is not merely a tool; rather, he aims to become the master of the tools.

The higher the level of enlightenment, the greater the achievements one can attain. In the history of Tianren Continent, those who have been enlightened by the words of the sage Confucius are only the Holy Mengzi and the Semi-Holy Zisi. Today, I, Su Lin, will also give it a try to see what difficulty there is in achieving enlightenment through these sacred words

Confucius smiled and shook his head, softly uttering four words: "A gentleman is not a tool"

Zigong expressed his understanding, and the other disciples also suddenly realized, praising Zigong's remarkable insight. However, Confucius sighed and fell silent.

"Just a little more! Just a little more, what does it really mean?" Su Lin's mind was racing, thoughts surging within him. "The gentleman is not a vessel; the so-called vessel is merely an ordinary container for water, while a more valuable one resembles a ceremonial jade. However, their essence is the same; they all have fixed purposes. As Confucius, the sage, said, a gentleman cannot be the same as a vessel, which indicates that a gentleman cannot have only a fixed purpose. Then... the gentleman is not merely versatile as Zigong said, could it be that... Confucius meant..."

Relying on intuition, Su Lin understood that if he were to gain wisdom through sacred words, it must be the phrase "A gentleman is not a tool." But what does this phrase actually mean? According to a straightforward translation, the meaning of this phrase is "A gentleman cannot be like a tool."

With a sudden inspiration, Su Lin burst into laughter, instantly comprehending that what Confucius meant by "a gentleman is not a vessel" truly aligns with the meaning of *Tu* and *Shu*. It is not that a gentleman should be versatile and talented, but rather that he should not possess specific skills at all. A gentleman should be a bearer of values and should cultivate his own path.

Suddenly, a possibility struck Su Lin's mind, and he was greatly alarmed. "I understand now, it is the Mengzhi herb. That damned Su Liu family has been adding Mengzhi herb to my meals for the past nine years, which is why I have been unable to awaken my intellect for so long. If it weren't for this bowl of invigorating soup from Zijing, I would probably have to wait until I passed the examination to become a child scholar before I could awaken my intellect."

Suddenly, the thought of a gentleman not being a mere tool surged within Su Lin, rushing up to his brow and effortlessly breaking open his intellectual aperture. Then, a beam of golden light shot up from Su Lin's intellectual aperture into the vast sky, embodying the soaring momentum of a true sage's words that unlocks wisdom.

It is worth it! Truly worth it. Zijing, thank you for this invigorating soup. Now, my mind is clear and unimpeded!

Sitting up straight, Su Lin's eyes were bright and spirited as he opened the Analects, flipping through the passages from the chapter on Learning. One by one, the recorded sayings of Confucius passed before his eyes. Just like before, the thoughts conveyed by the Sage of Confucius rippled within him, yet, no matter what, he had not yet reached the level of enlightenment that would pierce through to the essence of wisdom.

Excited, Su Lin immediately pulled Dong Zijing back to the room. Su Lin sat down at the desk and eagerly opened Confucius's "Analects," while Dong Zijing sat at the head of the bed, resting her chin on one hand, gazing at him intently.

A gentleman is not merely a tool, yet he aspires to become a master of tools! Ha ha! This is the way of Su Lin, this is indeed the way of Su Lin!

Su Lin was flipping through the "Analects," seeking to find a doctrine that represented his own thoughts. Suddenly, he was struck by a thought and saw the phrase "The gentleman is not a tool" from the chapter on governance. His thoughts surged like a tide as he quickly interpreted these few words.

What is going on here? Am I not naturally a dull-witted person? Although the invigorating soup has the effect of refreshing the mind and nourishing the intellect, it cannot possibly open up the mind of someone who is naturally dull-witted, can it? Could it be that...

However, Zigong, who received such high praise, frowned and boldly asked Confucius, "May I ask, what kind of vessel are you?"

Indeed, merely understanding the superficial meaning of the sayings in the Analects is insufficient for enlightenment. One must truly comprehend and integrate them, much like the ten-year-old Su Wen. His long-term living environment, where the Su and Liu families oppressed him, left him with a sense of frustration. Therefore, when he encountered phrases concerning filial piety and brotherly love, he resonated deeply with them, integrating the underlying thoughts and breaking through the barriers of understanding.

Su Lin's comprehension is not lacking; he often demonstrates the ability to draw inferences from one instance to another while studying at school. However, what he can grasp from these four characters is merely akin to Zi Gong's understanding, believing that Confucius's notion of a gentleman entails being versatile and not limited to a single talent. Yet, in the end, Confucius's response to Zi Gong is one of shaking his head and sighing. What could be the reason for this? Is it that Zi Gong's assertion is incorrect? However, in the end, Confucius's response to Zi Gong is one of shaking his head and sighing. What could be the reason for this? Is it that Zi Gong's assertion is incorrect?

The gentleman is not a vessel! The gentleman is not a vessel! What does this actually mean? Why do I feel that upon seeing these four characters, my thoughts become so clear, and ideas surge within me, as if they are about to break through the confines of my intellect?

Zigong suddenly realized that what the teacher meant was that ordinary people are like vessels, having only fixed functions, whereas a true gentleman must be versatile and cannot be like a "vessel" with only a fixed purpose

At this moment, disciples came forward one after another to ask Master Confucius what kind of vessel they were. Confucius smiled and pointed out their qualities one by one, along with references from texts. Among them, the disciple Zigong, whom Confucius valued the most, was likened to a hu-lian. This hu-lian was a sacrificial vessel used in ancient times for offering millet and sorghum in ancestral temples. This comparison illustrates the high regard Confucius had for Zigong, implying that Zigong possessed the ability to stabilize the state and govern the country

With the wisdom of sacred words, where is it so easy? The thoughts of the sage must be integrated into one's own path in order to break through the barriers of understanding. In the Analects, Confucius primarily emphasizes the nine concepts of "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, faith, forgiveness, loyalty, filial piety, and brotherly respect." Each of the nine nations takes one of these characters as the foundation of their state.

Ultimately, Su Lin found the most credible source for this statement. In fact, behind this statement lies a historical allusion.

The reason why it is difficult for people to gain wisdom from the words of the sages is that the thoughts contained in the sayings of the sage Confucius are so profound that each statement conveys meanings that go beyond the surface. In order to thoroughly understand the phrase "A gentleman is not a vessel," Su Lin activated the unwritten book in his mind and quickly searched for all relevant records concerning "A gentleman is not a vessel."

The four characters "君子不器" carry the historical anecdote of Confucius and his disciple Zigong, who later became known as the semi-saint Duanmu Ci.